Tag Archive for: Mobile App

5 Problems You Can Solve with the Right Mobile App Development Strategy

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Mobile app strategy refers to deploying the right mobile app to deal with overarching business challenges. Organizations of all sizes and sophistication look at mobile apps as the next frontier of enterprise innovation. So, mobile apps are being adopted to reach a wider market, achieve customer satisfaction and retention, and of course, respond to competition.

You can solve several enterprise challenges and needs with the right mobile app development strategy. Below we look at some of the most pressing challenges you can solve with the right mobile app strategy.

1. Data collection and data analysis

Did you know that consumers are today using mobile apps to shop? Well, the young generation of consumers has quickly adopted mobile app shopping as an easy and convenient model of accessing goods and services from e-commerce stores.

So, with the right mobile app development strategy, you can zero down into this emerging segment of tech-savvy consumers. A mobile app development strategy will help you collect critical data like shopping habits, shopping patterns, likes, and interests in new product categories.

Innovative companies know that the right mobile app will help you collect incredible data sets that you can use to make informed business decisions.

2. Customer service

Customer service is a critical component of your overall business strategy. With the right customer service, you can attract and retain customers with little cost. The right mobile app strategy can help you collect consumer feedback – complaints, disgruntlement, feedback, and recommendations.

This information is critically underpinning in making the right decisions about the quality and scope of your customer service. So, with the right mobile app strategy, it’s possible to identify the most pressing customer needs and make informed decisions from this data.

 

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3. Better internal communication

Did you know that mobile apps provide not just the opportunity to boost customer service, but equally reinforce your internal communication? Mobile apps allow you to communicate directly with your customers and your workforce.

Your customer service team can directly keep in touch with customers solely through direct messages. Innovative organizations understand that the employee monitoring process is quite critical but equally complex and time-consuming.

Thus, innovative organizations are adopting mobile apps to streamline and empower internal communication. The right mobile app development strategy can help you keep in touch with your employees on the most crucial business issues – marketing, customer service, complaints, innovation, research, and development.

4. Remote working

The ability to work remotely is not a capability you can derive from just any digital resource. Investing in the right mobile app strategy helps you to create a remote workforce – because tasks and processes can be initiated and closed solely through mobile apps.

As the world moves digital with new technologies such as virtualization, it’s critical that you embrace this shift. A mobile app development strategy that recognizes the need for remote working is all you need to adopt a remote lifestyle, not just for you, but also for your workers.

5. Customer engagement

Digital enterprises understand that the secret to digital success is customer engagement. A mobile app can build unmatched capacity for customer engagement. Leverage mobile apps to constantly engage with your customers through posts, new promotions, and advertising campaigns – smoothly and seamlessly.

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NS804 – Reinforcing Your Digital Strategy and Transformation

NS804 enables enterprises to adopt a paradigm shift in digital transformation. NS804 provides superior mobile app solutions that are tailored to individual business needs.

Contact NS804 for mobile app development solutions – android, IOS apps, and hybrid apps alike.

These are The 14 Things Customers Want in an App

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Designing a mobile app is not enough. Your mobile app must be able to communicate and interact with customers in meaningful ways. Think of a mobile app as a chatbot that talks to customers, responds to their questions, and executes commands.

So, your mobile app must go beyond physical appeal and encompass deep functionality and usability.

This post looks at several things your customers want in your app.

1. Rich experience

You must offer a unique customer experience for your app to capture the right audience and to be downloaded everywhere. Without thinking carefully about your target audience and their needs, you may duplicate a mobile browsing experience in an e-commerce app.

So, ensure you do thorough research to identify how to offer the best user experience. Look at ways to do things differently and offer unique and rewarding experiences.

2. Intuitive and easy navigation

Your app must be navigable to catch the right audience and retain them. Creating an intuitive and navigable app means incorporating simplicity, eliminating clutter, and being selective about the most crucial features you want to include in the front interface.

Documented research shows the number one reason users gave for deleting an app was that they didn’t use it. But if you find users using your app regularly, that doesn’t guarantee that your app is safe from being deleted.

14% of app users admitted to deleting an app they found hard to use. The overall usability and intuitive navigation are key features users look for in mobile apps. And mobile developers must always be on the lookout for how to deliver superior mobile experiences.

3. Simple check-out

Nothing is more strenuous to online shoppers than the check-out process. Users find check-out processes poorly designed and difficult to navigate. Sometimes, check-out processes threaten to compromise users’ personal and financial information, especially when credit card information is not well-processed or the debit card is debited twice.

So, ensure that you seal all the check-out loopholes and make the check-out process easy and seamless. Indeed, reputable online shopping stores ensure that customers only key in their credit card information once during their first purchase.

The system automatically recognizes this credit card information anytime the user makes future purchases. So, ensure that your customers do not have to key in their credit card details anytime they purchase from your app.

4. Personalized experiences

Everywhere you go, online stores and business organizations strive to make their online customer shopping experiences more personal. So, it should be no surprise that personalization is a critical element of mobile shopping.

In an e-marketing survey, more personalized mobile and mobile app experiences were the leading user expectation for the future. And to stand out in the mobile app space, businesses must put personalization at the center of their mobile app development strategy.

5. Simplicity

You can do many things to your mobile app as part of your mobile app development efforts. However, unless those cool things align with the needs and wants of your target audience, you may end up doing more wrong than good.

So, cramming your mobile app with features that are not important for the end users may end up compromising overall usability and functionality. We all know that users crave intuitive app navigation, which means simplicity is vital in maintaining this simple and navigable capability.

You must make a simple, usable design a key guiding factor of your design.

6. Demo

Although your customers will not tell you, giving demos of products and services in your app will do more good than bad. Often, demos provide solid proof that a product exists and works as demonstrated.

So, ensure that your app can support product demos.

7. Tracking

If your website doesn’t provide order tracking capabilities, ensure that your mobile app has this functionality. Greater transparency and quick shipments are critical for your customers. So, your mobile app must have an order or product tracking feature that allows them to keep track of their products wherever they are.

8. Returns

All customers yearn for a convenient and flexible experience anytime they buy – before, during, and even after buying. Companies like Zappos incorporate easy returns within the app.

9. Reviews

Customer reviews are the epitome of proof, especially in online shopping. Social proof is a great way to boost sales, especially if your customers offer honest, unique, and transparent reviews about your products and services.

So, your customers want social proof that your products are authentic and credible. This certainty comes from giving positive and accurate reviews and integrating these reviews into your mobile apps.

10. Support

If you will offer discounts, demos, and returns in your app, support is not optional – it’s mandatory. Giving support means including direct lines to live chats and customer service to ensure your clients’ experiences remain perfect and untarnished.

The emergence of customer support systems has provided immense capabilities to address most of the recurring customer service issues. However, it’s important to note that offering live support through chats or even phone calls is a good way of keeping in touch with your customers – and ensuring they get the best customer service.

11. Security

Online and data security is a critical element and requirement for every online user. Every user needs online security anytime they want to use a new app. It’s advisable to take verified and prior measures to protect your app from malware attacks and hackers who may want to steal your customers’ information.

Remember that when you’re launching your app and when your app is taking off, hacker attempts and malware attacks may scare away potential users – and fail a promising app.

12. Image resolution

This attribute of a mobile app is overlooked, although it is a critical element of any design work. All your images must be crystal clear and with the perfect resolution.

A good image resolution is equally as important as easy and simple navigation. Proper picture display keeps the audience engaged. The quality graphics and fine detailing on your app help bring users closer to your app, making their stay worthwhile

13. Flexibility

All customers want to use your app in virtually all operating systems – be it ios or android. So, ensure that your app can operate in all operating systems and eliminate any restrictions.

That’s because there are many operating systems available for smartphones. So, make your app available on most of these operating systems to maximize your app’s output.

Always remember the different screen sizes and resolutions of different smartphone devices before uploading your app to keep your audience satisfied and engaged.

14. Notifications and updates

Last but not least, your app must contain notifications and updates. Notifications act as information networks that update customers on payment information, new products, demos, offers, and other important information.

In addition, notifications and updates help keep your app more relevant and fresh to your customers. You can keep your target audience engaged and notified of new features using notifications like SMSs, email, and social media.

You will keep your audience engaged and satisfied if you add revisions to your app.

NS804 – Keeping Customers Engaged by Acing Your App’s Performance!

NS804 is the leading provider of custom mobile app design and development. NS804 provides design and development solutions tailored to your unique business needs.

So, whether you’re a start-up, a medium-sized enterprise, or a large corporation, you can rest assured that NS804 will provide superior mobile app design solutions that answer your customers’ more pressing questions.

Contact NS804 for time-to-value mobile app design and development solutions.

What Should You Do When Your Mobile App Fails?

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Mobile app failure can cost your business consumer trust, loyalty, and financial decline. Think about all the app conversion failures, customer communication breakdowns, and sales declines you will experience if your app fails today.

So, in this post, we discuss the most common causes of app failures and what you can do in case you’re in such a mess.

Let’s delve.

Causes of Mobile App Fails

Mobile apps can fail because of many reasons. Outdated apps that do not respond to new operating systems or meet new operating requirements are likely to fail, especially at the onset of new OS launches.

So, ensure your app is updated and maintained to respond to emerging or evolving technology trends in the market.

Apps can also fail because of bugs and viruses. Freely existing malware can target apps that lack the proper security infrastructure or architecture, thus compromising your app’s integrity. Hackers target consumer personal and financial information, meaning they’re likely to target your app to access consumer information.

So, hacker targeting through malware, bugs, and even ransomware are some examples that may lead to app failure.

Your app can also fail for many other reasons. For instance, you may fail to do adequate market research before the app launch. That means you won’t access the target consumers, and your app will fail to meet its expectations.

What Should You Do When Your Mobile App Fails?

So, here’s what to do in case your app fails:

1. Identify the root cause of the fail

It’s first important to diagnose the issue and identify the root cause of the failure. Most failures occur due to bugs, poor design, unappealing interfaces, and outdated operating systems.

So, identify the cause of the failure before proceeding to act further.

2. Correct what you can

Sometimes, the app fails for obvious reasons – failing to research more about your audience. If you discover that you did not conduct due research, ensure that you work towards improving this.

Ensure that you correct what you can before proceeding to outsource expert help.

3. Contact experts

Mobile app design companies offer mobile app design and development solutions – from inception to completion. Mobile app designers are likely to diagnose virtually every issue in your app, including failures, lags, and even inefficiencies.

In addition, by working with experts, you enjoy supplementary services like app navigation, user interface, and user experience.

You gain an end-to-end understanding of app design and usability by working with mobile app design companies. Also, monitor your app’s performance and ensure it brings in the desired conversions.

NS804 – The Solution to Mobile App Fails!

At NS804, we believe that one of the leading reasons for app failures is the lack of enough app testing. The mobile app design work is a sophisticated process that demands careful planning and expert execution.

At NS804, we have worked with diverse clients on simple and complex projects. So, we understand the end-to-end process of developing a superior app. We can help diagnose and correct any mobile app failure.

Contact NS804 to enjoy superior mobile app development and diagnosis solutions.

 

Make Your App Simple to Navigate with These 6 Design Tips

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Mobile app design is not all about looks and beautiful aesthetics. It’s sometimes about how easily users can communicate and interact with your app.

Think about app design as a concept that merges looks and interaction – aesthetics and functionality. And app navigation is like interactions or a conversation with an app.

So, making your app navigable is critical to the overall design work.

Here are six design tips to make your app simple to navigate:

1. Thumb navigation

Research has suggested that 49% of app users use only one thumb to navigate the phone’s interface. When designing, remember that your app will be used in numerous ways.

So, ensure that when designing, you place the most crucial features at the bottom of the app. This way, users can reach these features when using the phone with a hand or two.

2. Bottom tab bar

Many reputable apps, including LinkedIn and Instagram, place their primary features on the bottom tab bar. For instance, Instagram’s core functionality tabs are accessed through the tab bar, making switching between features easy.

So, when designing an app, ensure you do the following:

  • Avoid using icons of different colors at the bottom
  • Avoid scrabble icons at the tab bar
  • Show only the most frequently used destinations

You can always display a badge at the tab bar to show new information.

3. Card-style design

Cards are critical elements to use in your mobile interface design because they can display actionable features. The card-style design allows content to reveal itself to the targeted audience, making navigation easy and fast.

The card-style design further gives users the fun feeling of swiping left and right. For instance, the Google Primer App allows users to tap on each card and swipe the cards away anytime they are done reading what’s written on each card.

4. Avoid clutter

It’s advisable to keep your app clean and succinct. And by avoiding clutter, you make the app cleaner and easy to navigate. In addition, by removing clutter, you prioritize content, and the space, whether white or black, contributes to readability.

5. Full-screen navigation

Full-screen navigation means you don’t save any space on your screen. This type of navigation can be beneficial and equally powerful for some mobile apps. The full-screen navigation is simply a navigation platform that lists all the navigation elements, and it’s great for simplicity and coherence if you select the colors properly.

6. Search box

Your users can feel locked in a dark room if you omit search navigation. Ensure that you incorporate a magnifying glass icon at the top of the app to give your users the liberty to search for whatever they want.

Adding a search box means liberating your users and letting them explore every nook and cranny in your app.

NS804 – App Navigation Made Easy!

NS804 is a trusted provider of superior mobile app design solutions for Android and IOS. NS804 seeks to provide clients – individuals, businesses, corporations, and organizations – with clean interfaces and functional apps that answer difficult questions.

In addition, NS804 apps meet the criteria of simplicity and functionality allowing consumers to enjoy all that an app has to offer.

Contact NS804 for superior mobile app design in Richmond Va.

7 Emerging App Trends Business Are Tapping Into Right Now

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There’s no denying that the mobile app revolution is underway. In 2021, there were a whopping 7 billion mobile app users globally. The following year, this number rose to 9 billion and was projected to reach 10 billion in 2023 as smartphones and wearables become an integral part of our everyday life.

The shift from e-commerce to m-commerce did not happen by accident. While e-commerce presented a digital model for online shopping, m-commerce seemed to respond better to consumer needs given that it was integrated into mobile devices like smartphones, wearables, and tablets.

This post examines seven mobile app trends that businesses are tapping into to maintain a competitive edge in their industries.

1. 5G Technology

Mobile apps have proven to be a game-changer in the industry. They’ve helped transform markets, tap into new customer pools, and boost the bottom line.

Unfortunately, the app development landscape is forever changing, making it hard for businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, to keep up with emerging trends.

One of these emerging technologies is the 5G. 5G offers 100 times faster internet connectivity than its predecessor, 4G LTE. This particular trend of faster internet connectivity speeds will significantly transform the mobile app development landscape.

Already, businesses of all sizes and sophistication are looking at how they can leverage this new technology to transform themselves and redefine their competitive positioning.

For instance, 5G technology could enable businesses to develop more immersive AR and VR technologies, provide improved data analytics, and transform their efficiencies on numerous fronts.

The 5G technology remains a game-changer in the mobile app development landscape, and enterprises must look into how they can optimize this new technology to drive value.

2. Internet of Things (IoT) App Integration

The Internet of Things is no longer a complicated term or concept. The IoT simply refers to the interconnectivity of devices and the information or data that flows among interconnected devices.

The rise of mobile penetration across multiple sectors has created seemingly endless possibilities for the internet of things. The Internet of Things refers to the increasingly high number of devices connected to the internet, and the information or data supported or emitted by these interconnected devices.

A classic example of IoT app integration is the rise of smart home technology. Mobile apps, for example, can be used to activate thermostats in remote homes. Mobile apps can also activate alarms, security cameras, and automated gates or entrances remotely.

Refrigerators, ovens, cookers, and other appliances can also be controlled using mobile apps, providing countless control and automation possibilities.

Credible research indicates that the global internet of things market will reach $264 billion in 2022. These statistics show that $190 billion of this income will come from interconnected mobile apps.

3. Augmented and Virtual Reality

Despite the Covid-19 pandemic and the recent transformations in the global business landscapes, businesses are expected to embrace mobile app development.

That’s because mobile apps provide a tangible way for businesses to reach their target audience and grow their brands despite the economic turmoil of the pandemic.

Integrating augmented and virtual reality is one of the most reputable mobile app development trends in 2022. This integration involves using immersive technologies to create engaging customer experiences.

For instance, businesses are using augmented reality technology to show customers what products will look like in their homes. In addition, augmented and virtual reality technologies are being embedded to provide a realistic preview of products.

4. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

As we recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, businesses are looking at ways to remain competitive in an ever-changing global landscape. Artificial intelligence and machine learning are one of the hottest words in the tech world right now, and they’re just beginning to get famous.

The reason machine learning and artificial intelligence are the two most important concepts right now is that they possess a huge capability to process huge amounts of information and data quickly and efficiently.

This capability is especially valuable to businesses that want to process huge amounts of information and make informed business decisions based on available customer behavior data.

And by incorporating artificial intelligence in their mobile apps, businesses can not only mine critical customer information – they can equally draw meaningful insights from collected data.

Also, artificial intelligence can create more interactive and engaging customer communication information and data or content. The creation of engaging content is a critical element of mobile app development.

So, businesses looking forward to staying competitive in an ever-changing business landscape must consider integrating machine learning and artificial intelligence in their mobile app development efforts.

5. Blockchain

Blockchain is another emerging mobile app trend that’s promising to make an impact in the coming years. Already, we have witnessed the success of blockchain in creating a secured and seamless cryptocurrency market, and its application in other industries and sectors continues to be lauded.

The blockchain, which essentially represents a distributed ledger technology, promises to revolutionize and transform the way businesses operate by offering a secure and water-tight way of storing information.

And while blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, it has a wide range of applications for businesses of all types and sizes. For instance, blockchain can streamline supply chain processes, track inventory levels, and create secure digital contracts.

6. Apps for Foldable Devices

It’s not a surprise that you had, or maybe you knew someone who had a flip phone a long time ago. The first generation of flip-flop phones was replaced by touch screen phones and smartphones with one or two buttons.

However, at the start of 2019, we witnessed a generation of foldable smartphones. 2019 saw the release of foldable smartphones like Huawei Mate X, Samsung Galaxy Fold, and Motorola Razr.

These smartphones fold to expand or compress the screen size based on the user’s preference. For instance, the user can receive a call with the phone closed but watch a video with the device open.

That means that from an app development perspective, developers must account for these changes in mobile design. The idea is that an app must seamlessly update its display as the device unfolds and closes.

The key highlight of any app is to offer a superior and user-friendly viewing experience regardless of whether the app is open or closed.

7. Development for Wearable Devices

Wearable devices have taken a toll over the last decade, defining trends in the healthcare sector. Wearable devices nowadays monitor heart rate, record blood pressure, and keep tabs on pulses.

Some wearables go a notch higher to show important body variables and statistics like disease diagnostics, patient therapy delivery, and early disease diagnostics.

It’s important to note that wearable technology has come with devices such as trackers, fitness bands, and smartwatches, signaling a new wake for wearable devices.

However, emerging statistics show that the wearable market has not reached its full potential. There has been a year-to-year increase in wearable adoption from 2017 to 2022, signaling that the market is yet to exploit its fullest potential.

The evidence shows that while we are not witnessing a year-to-year jump, the growth rate is steady, a clear indication of the hidden potential of this market.

For instance, Apple Inc. made a big announcement about wearables and app integration at its 2019 WWDC. The newly launched WatchOS 6 brought the Apple Store to Apple Watch. This trend shows that new apps are being built specifically for these devices.

In the future, more mobile apps will be made with wearables in mind. Users with wearables will be able to download thousands of apps directly from their wrists – reinforcing the mere fact that mobile app development is gradually shifting towards wearable technology.

NS804 – Transforming The Mobile App Development Landscape!

NS804 is a trusted provider of custom-built mobile app solutions for individual businesses and corporations. NS804 provides expertise in mobile app development, allowing enterprises to approach their app projects with diligence.

So, if you want to tap into emerging app trends or integrate emerging solutions in your app development project – look no further!

Contact NS804 to know how exactly you can integrate emerging app trends into your mobile app.

6 Tips for a Better UX/UI Design

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Your application, whether a web application or a mobile app, gives your clients and users the first impression of your product or company. Emerging evidence shows that well-designed UI and UX can drive your sales and conversion rate by double. So, you must ensure that your application is attractive and user-friendly.

It is important to note that the user interface (UI) is not the same as the user experience (UX). User interface (UI) focuses on the platform or interface that the user interacts with. UX, on the other hand, is the overall aspect of the application. It is the emotional experience of the user after interacting with your application.

The overall goal of UI/ UX design is to ensure that it is efficient, easy, and smooth for users to interact with your web or app.

Here Are Some Tips For A Better UI/ UX Design:

1. Know your users

You cannot go blindly into designing the UI/UX of your website. You need to identify who the target audience is and what their needs are. So, to design a product that will entice your users, the first step is user research. Having an idea of what your users need will help you to design a better UI/UX for your product. Keep your user needs in mind when designing.

2. Keep things simple

Your website or application should not require a map or a navigation guide. Simplicity in UI/UX design means making it easy for your users to interact with the product (content, images) captured in your application. You can guide your users using some features such as icons, showing tapping, and hovering. Make everything simple and clear.

3. Accessibility and functionality

As a UI/UX designer, do not just focus on aesthetics and forget some important aspects such as functionality and accessibility. Yes, looks are important but pointless if your users cannot comfortably use your platform. Strive to ensure that every element in your design functions properly and icons are easily accessible.

4. Offer feedback

Imagine clicking or pressing an action button, let’s say, ‘buy now’ or ‘send in an app’ but you don’t get an update. You’re just left there guessing that the process went on smoothly. Frustrating, right? As a designer, it is your responsibility to ensure that you update your users, and offer timely visual feedback.

If a submission has been sent successfully, tell the user that the submission was successful. If an order has been made, update the user’s cart. If something is loading, show the user that it is loading. This way your users know exactly where they are in your app. Don’t underestimate the power of these simple messages when designing UI/UX.

5. Prototype before you implement

Can you imagine designing everything and then realizing it doesn’t work as you expected? To avoid this, you should create a model of the product you’re designing and test it. This process is known as prototyping. You can easily and comfortably fix the errors before you design the real product.

6. User testing

Remember that you’re not designing for yourself. So, you must ensure that you get real users to test your design. Don’t assume that users are like you and will have a similar experience as you when interacting with your interface.

The target users come from different backgrounds and have different beliefs and mindsets. That’s why you should test your app with users who are not your relatives and friends. As a result, you’ll get honest opinions about their experience.

These few tips alongside what you already know will help you improve your UI/UX design. Most importantly, don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Even the best of us do. It is the only way to learn!

NS804 – Streamlining Your UX and UI Design!

NS804 is a trusted provider of superior mobile app design and development solutions. At NS804, we help individual businesses and large corporations design functional and responsive mobile apps – from inception to completion.

Contact NS804 to know exactly how you can achieve superior UX and UI design.

 

How to Make an App User Friendly

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Mobile applications continue to be critical tools for our everyday lives. Many factors must be considered when creating an app including; services provided, layout, design, features, and user experience.

Development of mobile apps requires a lot of effort and ingenuity with each app designed to solve a particular problem. However, what makes an app stand out is the user experience which can make a significant difference in making an app successful and stand out from the rest.

There is growing competition for app developers to create quality popular apps. With so many apps out there, users have a wide array to choose from. This makes app retention crucial by not only making the experience awesome but also being functional by solving the user’s problem.

So how do you make your app user-friendly in a highly saturated space? Well, making an app user-friendly requires some elements to collectively work together to achieve this goal.

1. Keep it Simple

The most important tip for making an app user-friendly is simply making it simple. The end user is likely to stay on an app that is simple and easy to navigate. Instagram and Tik Tok are some of the most popular apps which is because of the basic functionality that makes them easy to use.

A basic design must hook users who are not particularly tech-savvy and appeal to those with short attention spans. The average user is usually not interested in all the features of an app. Most users are focused on functionality and convenience when using the app.

They want to navigate the app seamlessly without feeling overwhelmed with information or complex features. An easy-to-use app means a new user can jump straight into the app with zero familiarity yet be able to navigate with ease.

Keeping it simple with an easy-to-understand layout and design creates a pleasant experience.

2. Understand the Target Market

The user interface and experience are based on user demands and behavior. User demands are typically the issues, difficulties, or obstacles that users are trying to address with the app.

User behavior on the other hand is the general pattern of characteristics that the target market shows while attempting to solve the issues.

For instance, younger users heavily rely on apps for on-demand services, whereas elderly users enjoy the personal touch of phone conversations. To make an app user-friendly, it is essential to comprehend the subtleties of user wants and behavior.

Making an app with the preferences of your target users as the top priority will ensure that you are creating something they will enjoy and use repeatedly.

3. Make it Safe and Secure

People are becoming more aware of the threat of hackers and the potential dangers of information getting leaked to the wrong hands. Users want the assurance that the data shared on apps are secure and will not be accessed or used illegally. This is especially true for apps that collect sensitive data like credit card information, medical data, or bank details.

For such apps, the consideration of security cannot be overlooked. Any app with security breaches is going to have a negative outlook with users who will avoid it completely.

Therefore, you should take all necessary steps to ensure that users of your application do not suffer any security breaches. Many apps employ a Facebook or Google sign-in as a method of contracting out their security procedures to a trusted vendor.

The first thing users notice once they launch an app is a design, color, and layout. A basic color scheme is appealing and user-friendly as opposed to a clash of various bright colors. The design should be attractive yet simple without being overbearing for the users.

The layout should be clean without too much going on to convey an application with extraordinary visual appeal. All in all, the design and layout should be simple with icons and paths that make it easy for users to navigate the app.

NS804 – Making Your App User-Friendly

NS804 is a trusted provider of superior mobile app solutions. We help individual businesses and large companies navigate the difficult process of developing an intuitive and user-friendly app. At NS804, we work together with clients to identify their different business needs and deliver mobile app solutions that address these issues.

Contact NS804 for superior, user-friendly mobile apps.

10 Reasons Why Your Restaurant Needs a Mobile App

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The ability to view, click, and order is on the rise. The ‘click’ trend is slowly taking a toll on almost every enterprise – from retailers to hoteliers. Today, restaurants are looking for ways to differentiate themselves, thanks to new mobile capabilities like online ordering and delivery.

The hotel industry has experienced a boom over the last decade due to a corresponding growth and uptake of technology. For instance, mobile apps are helping restaurants grow their brands in almost unimaginable ways.

In addition, e-commerce capabilities enable hotels to access fresh produce, thus powering up vital operations in traditional hotels and restaurants – from sourcing products to delivering them to consumers.

Reasons Your Restaurant Needs an App

So, whether running a small food kiosk at the corner of a busy city or handling multiple hotel chains across different geographies, having an app is mandatory.

So, here are ten reasons your restaurant needs a mobile app.

1. Online slot reservation

Today, mobile apps connect clients to their desired restaurants and provide adequate information to make a reservation. Restaurants are leveraging online forms to enable clients and customers to make reservation requests.

In addition, smartphone apps allow your customers to book reservations and identify whether there’s a slot or not. So, instead of traveling miles only to miss a seat, restaurants can inform potential guests of any available seats.

2. Digital menu card

Do you know that most customers wouldn’t mind accessing the menu digitally, especially when it’s easily accessible and with a good interface? Well, if you don’t know, consider making your digital menu card as appealing and attractive as possible.

Today, most restaurants (like Foodlitter) allow customers to place orders using digital menu cards. This capability enables users to make their orders online without much hassle and with just a few clicks on their phones.

Digital menu cards provide end-users with immense accessibility and a convenient experience. And while many restaurants have menus in their mobile apps, few have digital menus uploaded to these apps.

So, your restaurant needs a mobile app to enable digital menu capabilities.

3. Ordering online

Mobile apps are indispensable for restaurants that offer online ordering and online delivery options. For instance, fast-food chains like Mcdonald’s, Subway, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, and Checkers provide online ordering capabilities, filling hunger bites when they occur.

What mobile apps do is that they eliminate the role of mediator in booking orders and online reservations. So, you can directly go to your app and place an order. And immediately, you’ll receive a call confirming your order details and delivery information – location, address, phone number, recipient(s), and more.

4. Location-based deals

The location-based feature is a relatively new app feature but incredibly satisfying to restaurants that want to close fast deals.

For instance, Apple’s iBeacon uses this particular feature. This feature sends a push notification to a customer near your restaurant.

With this feature, you can tempt your customers by offering unbeatable deals on mouth-watering delicacies they can’t refuse.

5. Customer-friendliness

Perhaps the leading reason behind the adoption of mobile apps is that mobile apps are customer-friendly. Mobile apps offer a superior customer experience making apps a darling to many people.

Online ordering has enabled most restaurants to handle their peak hours efficiently. Online ordering reduces the pressure and queue, assisting restaurants with orders even when customers are seated at home or in offices.

And thanks to online ordering, most people nowadays can avoid the pain of standing in long queues waiting for meals. And with the option of ordering their meals online, they can easily order meals when they’re in traffic or when picking up their children from school.

So, there’s no denying that the customer-friendly nature of mobile apps in online ordering has been a feat to its adoption.

6. Customer outreach

Mobile apps provide ways to connect to new customers. By using mobile apps, restaurants can advise their offerings and reach out to new and existing customers.

And while there’s no proven way to connect to customers, you can always use mobile apps because they’re cheap, customized to customer needs, and less spammy. Mobile apps offer soft push notifications that don’t appear as a bother to consumers.

So, mobile apps remain indispensable in creating targeted communication with customers.

7. Brand positioning

You cannot undermine the power of apps in building a compelling brand image. Mobile apps exist on consumer devices, are easily accessible, and can be customized to address consumer needs using purchase patterns, purchasing behavior, and other operative metrics.

So, restaurants are slowly understanding the potential of mobile apps in building a good brand and image. Mobile apps act as your restaurant’s beacon outside. For instance, if a customer is not ordering directly from your restaurant but has your app installed, they can receive push notifications which ultimately build your brand.

8. Social media presence

No matter what sector your business operates in, it’s critical to have your presence on social channels such as Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and WhatsApp.

Declaring your presence in social channels is one way of going with the trends and ensuring you gain a competitive advantage. And provided you give it an effective online marketing campaign, your social media presence will surely attract a large following.

So, restaurants use mobile apps to strengthen their social media presence. Mobile apps can be integrated with social channels and portfolios, reinforcing a brand’s overall digital strategy.

9. Online promotions

There’s no denying that mobile apps have helped restaurants improve their online promotion approaches in numerous ways. For instance, through online promotion programs like ‘check-in’ features, clients or consumers can notify their friends and family about specific restaurants they’re dining in.

The check-in promotion feature helps friends, family, and workmates connect and meet in specific restaurants or locations.

So, if you’re running a restaurant and considering a mobile app, ensure it encompasses the ‘check-in’ feature to enable your restaurant’s clientele to tag in their friends and allies anytime they wish.

You can also use mobile app push notifications to notify customers about new offers and specials. That helps to improve your communication and ultimately increases your chances of improving your ROI on specials.

So, restaurants are now using mobile apps as leverage to improve the return on investment, especially on special treats.

10. Loyalty programs

Loyalty programs provide a win-win situation for the business and the customer. The programs help restaurants target and retain new customers while extending value to clients.

According to a study, 86% of consumers are likely to purchase from you if you provide discounts or offers periodically. To do this, you can give your clients discounts on every 10th or 5th visit, which will help enhance retention.

NS804 – Transforming Your Restaurant’s Digital Posture with an App!

NS804 is a trusted provider of superior and quality mobile apps. We have helped businesses across various sectors – hotels, restaurants, banks, insurance, healthcare, and education – design the best apps that answer their clients’ questions.

At NS804, we can help you identify your restaurant’s needs and design an app that best answers your clients’ questions.

So, do you own a restaurant, and would you like to transform its operations using a mobile app? Well, don’t worry, we have a solution for you!

Contact NS804 for mobile app development solutions – whether you’re running a restaurant or planning to own one.

Launching a New Product? 11 Reasons to Have a Mobile App

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The product life cycle stages provide a benchmark for understanding the product development process. The product life cycle stages include a market introduction, market growth, market maturity, and market decline.

The different stages of a product’s lifecycle pose discrete challenges. The commonly cited challenges with launching a new product include ideation, product roadmap problems, market viability, workflow management, product engineering issues, and the pace of innovation.

So, when launching a new product, you want to be careful not to miss out on any vital points that may affect its adoption. A mobile app is critical for launching a new product, be it software, hardware, consumer electronics, or merchandise.

Mobile apps allow brands and business leaders to actively connect and engage with their target audiences, building the base for future business. Mobile apps provide an interaction platform, connecting prospective customers (and markets) with brand owners.

So, here are eleven reasons to have a mobile app when launching a new product:

1. Customer loyalty

Enterprises operating in competitive market landscapes must go an extra mile to remain visible and competitively positioned. For brands starting in fresh markets, it’s important to think of something to stand out: a gem that distinguishes you from the rest.

Mobile apps can offer start-ups and brands leverage when launching a new product. For instance, apps can lead to repeat business and bolster referrals. In addition, apps can foster new product and service adoption, especially when users share promotions, new products, and new deals.

There’s no doubt that your brand can accurately forecast long-term business outcomes when it has a loyal customer base. So, aim for a well-designed and customized app for your target customers. When launching products, this app may make a difference between a successful product launch and a failure!

2. Improved communication

Mobile apps act as crucial avenues for marketing communication. With mobile apps, you don’t have to overburden your email support because you have an extra communication channel.

In essence, mobile apps can communicate to a wide range of stakeholders, internal and external. With tailored communication and strategic response forums, mobile apps provide the convenience and flexibility of responding on the go. So, regardless of whether you’re catching a flight or traveling by train, you can always follow up on crucial office proceedings with a mobile app.

3. Marketing outreach

Mobile apps are indisputably the best single source of marketing truth. With mobile apps, you don’t have to worry about reaching hundreds, maybe thousands of potential customers, brands, partners, and suppliers. You can do that at a go.

Mobile apps afford enterprises and brands the flexibility, convenience, and agility of connecting with markets and other brands. It’s through mobile apps that you can foster your marketing outreach. Today, most consumers are connected to digital mobile platforms, making mobile a frontier in marketing communications.

4. Online shopping

When launching a new product, brands specify authorized suppliers, including stores, malls, shops, and hypermarkets that stock these specific products. Unfortunately, traditional product launches relied on complex supply chain lines.

The unpredictability and uncertainty of global supply chains continue to impede successful product marketing and distribution. Mobile apps are bridging this gap by offering online shopping options. So, when launching a new product (or service), your mobile app can be utilized as a distribution frontier.

The digitization of supply chain downstream activities has made it easier for brands to connect with customers. Digitizing distribution, sourcing, and supply continue to close gaps between production and consumption, making production and manufacturing seamless and surprisingly rewarding.

5. Brand image

Mobile apps improve brand image by offering interactive and intuitive interfaces to display products. In addition, mobile apps encompass diverse audiences and outreach, enabling emerging brands to reach a diverse audience. Product launches that use mobile apps experience better brand images because of accessibility, outreach, and product scope.

6. Customer visibility

Mobile apps are critical tools for obtaining insightful and actionable feedback, including customer behavioral patterns. Evaluating customer feedback and use patterns is a primary part of launching a new product. However, few brands and enterprises can successfully collect, collate, and report customer behavior to improve product launches and adoption levels.

Mobile apps allow you to collect insightful metrics: customer use patterns, pricing options, user behavior, market adoption, and competition levels. With mobile apps, you can gather and record customer responses, and obtain nifty product usage metrics, including product defects, failures, and inefficiencies.

7. Employee loyalty

There’s no doubt that workplaces are evolving with new technologies – blockchain, virtualization, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, automation, and robotics. The desire for employees to learn, adapt and evolve with time is propelled by new technologies that help organizations automate their workplaces.

Unfortunately, not all organizations are undertaking improvements in technology adoption. Published research shows that employees exposed to new, exciting technologies are more loyal and committed. In addition, the study shows that workplaces that adopt modern equipment, technology, and processes enjoy better employee loyalty.

8. Omnichannel shopping approach

Brands and enterprises are using the omnichannel shopping approach to give customers a seamless shopping experience across all their devices – smartphones, laptops, tablets, smartwatches, and smart TVs.

Omnichannel access lets customers shop remotely. This is because customers can access products on-the-go through smartphone devices. With omnichannel access, customers can shop for products online using their mobile phones. Mobile apps reinforce omnichannel shopping, helping customers access products without visiting stores.

9. Customer relationship management

The customer relationship management domain is forever changing. The emergence of technical support software and remote helpdesk support has changed the face of traditional CRM.

However, the most disruptive technology in the customer relationship management domain is the mobile app. The mobile app connects people, places, and platforms. Its interoperability with other channels, including digital social channels, volatility, and versatility make mobile apps critical for connecting customers with technical support teams.

So, when launching a new product, you must view an app as a strategic tool for managing your customer relationships. Brands and organizations are leveraging mobile apps to foster their approach to customer relations. Mobile apps help CRM personnel handle inquiries, process complaints, report issues, and provide timely resolutions.

10. Employee training

Human resources face the challenge of providing upgraded training and learning materials to employees, especially when introducing them to new products, technology, or markets.

However, you can eliminate these challenges by using e-learning apps that allow employees to learn about new products, new work models, and methodologies.

E-learning mobile apps like Udemy, Skill Pill, and BoostHQ ensure that employees have access to similar learning materials, regardless of where they’re. So, when launching a new product, a mobile app can streamline the process of educating your workforce on the ins and outs of the product.

11. Fostering employee commitment

The Technology Acceptance Model TAM terms usefulness and ease of use as the two most important factors for successful tech adoption. Your employees or customers will uptake your new product if it’s easy to use and functional or practical to them.

When launching a new product, foster your workforce’s commitment with a mobile app. By deploying a mobile app, you show your employees that you care about modernizing your workplace.

Improving your employee commitment will go a long way in accelerating the adoption and use of a new product. As a result, it’s advisable not to decouple employee engagement from the product initiation and adoption processes.

NS804 – Transforming Enterprises with Mobile Apps

NS804 provides custom-built mobile apps. NS804 designs and deploys functional, easy-to-use mobile apps that answer the trickiest question your business has to ask.

So, if you’re looking to create your first mobile app, don’t hesitate.

Contact NS804 for quotations and inquiries about your next project.

Mobile App Upgrade: 5 Signs That Your App Needs Improvements

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A mobile app upgrade may either excite or scare you. It may excite you if you’re eager to introduce new features and enhancements. And scare you if you’re anticipating many issues and roadblocks when upgrading your app.

Now, unless you’re not planning on sunsetting your app, it’s best to forego the fear and forge ahead with the upgrade process. And that’s because you want to keep your app relevant to retain existing users and attract new users.

1. A New Design Requires A Mobile App Upgrade

If you haven’t updated your mobile app in a while, it probably has an outdated user interface (UI). And that’s no good, as users may equate an outdated UI with a low-quality app. Furthermore, users accustomed to modern design conventions may have difficulty navigating your app in its current state. 

So you must have a proficient designer on your team or work with an established studio such as NS804 to refresh your app’s design. And then create an easy-to-navigate and modern UI that even non-tech savvy users can comprehend at a glance.

2. Performance Issues 

Most users won’t put up with a poor-performing app and will eventually uninstall it from their devices if performance issues persist. But how do you determine if your app’s performing poorly?

Firstly, you should be asking users for feedback and collecting and diagnosing your app’s crash logs. And secondly, you should be looking out for the following issues: app runs slower than intended, audio and screen glitches, device overheats when the app runs, memory leaks, ongoing crashes, and storage errors, to name a few.

3. The Codebase Is Outdated And Difficult To Maintain

You should move ahead with a mobile app upgrade if you have an outdated codebase. And the reason for this is that it’s a maintenance nightmare to keep code that’s old. Moreover, you may have difficulty scaling your app and introducing new features with an older codebase.

And then, you should also consider migrating to more modern programming languages. For example, an Android app programmed in Java can become more readable and quicker to type if rewritten in Kotlin, a modern counterpart of Java. The same applies to an iOS app if you plan to migrate from Objective-C to Swift.

4. Support For Additional Platforms And Devices

Perhaps your mobile app only supports Android smartphones and tablets. But recently, some users have requested that you target Android TVs and even the latest generation of flip phones. Furthermore, iOS users have heard of your app and have requested a port for their platform. Under such circumstances, it’s a good idea to move ahead with a mobile app upgrade that properly utilizes this wide range of form factors and screen sizes. 

5. Introduce New Features And Tighten Up Security

Every OS update of Android and iOS presents yet another opportunity to move ahead with a mobile app upgrade. And that’s because newer versions of Android and iOS boast new features and enhanced security. So, users will often upgrade to these versions, especially when they purchase newer devices.

Furthermore, users will expect your app to take advantage of the latest OS features and enhancements. And you’d definitely want to do that, especially if you have a premium or paid app and a user base that quickly migrates to the latest OS.

In Conclusion

It may be time to forge ahead with that all-important mobile app upgrade if you’ve noticed any of the five signs mentioned earlier. Contact NS804 to learn how we’ll help you handle this challenging but incredibly rewarding part of a mobile app’s lifecycle.